Lepers of Colima

In April 2007 I travelled with an order of nuns who were dedicated to ministering to a group of lepers who were living in the poorer edges of Colima, Mexico. They would bring them food, medicine, scrub their wounds and accept them as human beings. I was interested in the fact that these people were living with their families and communities and it was only by the love and support of the nuns and their families that they survived.

The Mexican government had previously promised to eradicate leprosy by the end of their term, so when it failed to happen they ceased to acknowledge their existence. This meant no government funding for medicine, aid or welfare programmes. I wanted to explore the relationships with the families and carers and communicate this through my photography.